RESOURCE FAMILY ENVIRONMENT CHECKLIST
This Resource Family Checklist contains some of the most common requirements the Resource Family Approval (RFA) social workers will address during their evaluation visits. This checklist is not a full summary of the RFA regulations but a list of the most common areas of assessment. Resource Families are expected to have a good working knowledge of the program regulations. CHECK WITH YOUR RFA SOCIAL WORKER IF AN ITEM IS NOT CLEAR OR IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS
(Note: This checklist does not include requirements for Children with Special Health Care Needs; for information regarding those requirements, refer to the Resource Family Approval regulations.)
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
- Your home is clean, safe, sanitary, and in good repair at all times.
- Fingerprints and a Child Abuse Index (Live Scan) have been submitted for everyone 18 years old or older who lives in your home or who will have contact with the children.
- Proof of a TB test for everyone 18 years old or older who is regularly in your home.
- RFA home admits children only as permitted by the terms of my approval from the County.
- There are no more than two infants, including my own, in my home without additional household help.
- No form of corporal punishment, spanking, hitting or the threat to do so, is allowed.
- Quality and quantity of food served is adequate.
- Children/youth have three meals daily and eat with other family members.
- Age appropriate activities are provided for the child/ren (such as participation in sports, attendance at school functions, enrichment activities, etc.).
- Working smoke detectors are installed in the hallway/s and are audible in each bedroom.
TRANSPORTATION
- Vehicle is safe and in good operating condition.
- State of CA minimum vehicular insurance requirements are met.
- Children will be transported in secured age appropriate car seat, harness, or seat belts.
- No smoking in vehicles, in the home, or in the presence of a child or youth.
- Bars on window(s) meet safety requirements to include having an emergency safety release device.
- Home and yard are free from safety hazards.
- If there is a change in residence, resource parent must notify the RFA unit 30 days prior to moving and submit a new RFA application.
- Before accepting a child, the home must be approved according to either emergency or non-emergent placement guidelines.
SLEEPING AREAS
- A maximum of two children may share a bedroom unless an alternate plan can be approved.
- Boys and girls may share the same bedroom only when both children are under age 8.
- Each child/youth has his/her own individual bed with a good mattress and clean bedding, including a pillow.
- A sturdy bassinet or crib is provided for each infant (appropriate to the child’s age and size).
- Bunk beds are allowed; however, the upper bed must have railings to prevent falling.
- Children under 6 years of age or those who are unable to climb into or out of the upper tier unassisted are not permitted to use the upper tier.
- Drawers and or closet space are in each child’s/youth’s bedroom for the storage of his/her clothing and personal belongings.
- Living rooms, dining rooms, garages, separate buildings, etc., may not be used as a bedroom.
- No bedroom may be used as a public or general passageway to another room.
- Except for infants under the age of two, children may not share a bedroom with an adult.
- No more than two infants and two adults may share a bedroom.
SAFETY ITEMS
- Except when applying Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standards (RPPS), all medications, including those requiring refrigeration, are kept inaccessible to children/youth.
- Storage area for poisons (Drano, pesticides, bleach, etc.), firearms, and other dangerous weapons is locked and kept inaccessible to children/youth.
- All ammunition is stored and locked separately from firearms.
- Safety from fireplaces, open-faced heaters, and wood stoves is ensured for the child/ren in the home.
- Only drivers properly licensed for the type of vehicle operated are permitted to transport children.
EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND REQUIREMENTS
- Emergency situations are discussed with children and emergency procedures will be practiced every six months and at time of new placements.
- Emergency information including phone numbers of police, fire, poison control, and family emergency contacts is posted.
- The home has a written and posted current emergency plan.
- Fire clearance has been obtained for non-ambulatory (unable to walk) child/youth or if more than six children in care. (Does not apply to infants)
- Caregiver(s) must maintain age-appropriate and current CPR and First Aid certification.
- First aid supplies appropriate to the children’s/youth’s needs are available in a central location in your home.
- Prescription medications for each foster child/youth are administered as prescribed or as necessary following the medication label.
- The date, time, and dose of medication administered is documented.
- There are no permanently discontinued medications in the home.
POOLS, SPAS, PONDS, AND BODIES OF WATER
SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
YES NO Does the home have any pools, spas, ponds and bodies of water?
Skip the following questions if answered “ No”.
IF YES:
- The pool is separated from access to the home by an enclosure that does not obscure the pool from view. Enclosure means a fence, wall, or other barrier that isolates a swimming pool from access to the home.
- The pool is equipped with an approved safety pool cover. A pool safety net that meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards is considered an approved safety pool cover. Pool covers shall be supported by flotation devices.
- Pools and hot tubs are fenced or covered in a manner approved by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM). If removable mesh pool fencing is used as the enclosure, the caregiver shall ensure that it is installed and maintained according to the manufacturer’s specifications and meets ASTM Specifications F 2286 standards in conjunction with a gate that is self-closing and self-latching and can accommodate a key lockable device.
- Access gates through the enclosure open away from the swimming pool and are self-closing with a self-latching device placed no lower than 60 inches above the ground.
- The enclosure has a minimum height of 60 inches.
- The enclosure has a maximum vertical clearance from the ground to the bottom of the enclosure of 2 inches.
- The gaps or voids of the enclosure, if any, do not allow passage of a sphere equal or greater than four inches in diameter (a child’s head).
- All pools that cannot be emptied after each use have an operative pump and filtering system.
- An outside surface of the enclosure is to be free of protrusions, cavities, or other physical characteristics that would serve as handholds or footholds that could enable a child below the age of 5 years to climb over.
- The pool is equipped with an approved safety pool cover. A pool safety net that meets the American Society for Testing and Materials standards is considered an approved safety pool cover. Pool covers are supported by flotation devices.